BLH endorses National Prison Strike and 8/23 action

Boston Liberation Health wholeheartedly endorses the wild-cat National Prison Strike which begins August 21st, and extends until September 9th.

There exists no “justice system” in our society, and never will be as long as Capitalism, White Supremacy, and Heteropatriarchy remain the dominant ideologies and institutions. Boston Liberation Health recognizes mass incarceration and prison slavery for what they are: a coordinated system of profit-driven racialized social control.

As healthcare workers, service users, and allies, we are no strangers to the myriad ways that Black, brown, poor, and many other oppressed folks are actively harmed by dominant cultural messages and the institutions they support, such as sexism, racism, poverty, and grossly inadequate services, all the while barred from access to resources. For falling prey to these forces, folks are further dehumanized by being placed in cages and forced to work for next to nothing. In some states, prisoners must work for no compensation whatsoever. This has major effects on the health of individuals (poor nutrition and healthcare; solitary confinement; separation from community, family, and children; trauma; hopelessness/helplessness, etc.) and the health of communities, many of which have been decimated by high levels of incarceration, targeted reincarnation, and generations who are left without parents and without hope of overcoming the criminal justice system.

We reject the notion that this torture is a necessary component of a safe, just, and stable society–in fact, quite the opposite. We support all prisoners in their efforts to end this institution once and for all, and to replace it with a true system of justice which dismantles all systems of oppression and gives people the services and access to resources they need to remain in their communities and live lives befitting human beings.